If we know what really causes stress — not just the triggers of stress (deadlines, last-minute requests, multitasking, children acting up, people at work acting like children, etc.) — we can look for solutions that will really work.
What is Stress?
Stress (the bad kind) is a result of negative emotions and beliefs that occur when people are unable to cope with the demands of their environment. There is also what is known as eustress, or good stress. Eustress is the result of positive emotions and beliefs that occur when people feel capable of coping with demands of their environments. So the real difference between bad stress and good stress is the difference between negative emotions (frustration, fear, anxiety, etc.) and positive emotions (appreciation, happiness, curiousity, etc.). And that is a huge difference because negative emotions have a significant detrimental effect on important work issues such as mental clarity, decision-making, personal productivity, accuracy, relationships, teamwork, and motivation just to name a few. Positive emotions have a positive effect on those issues.
What’s Needed
If most all of the tips and suggestions can’t be used at work for one reason or another, what would work? What’s needed is a simple, easy technique that busy business people can use "in-the-moment" of stress, or better yet, right before a stressful situation such as a meeting, a phone call, a performance review, reading your e-mail, and so on. Ideally it should transform negative, draining emotions into positive, productive emotions — not simply stuff them away. And it would be great if it would actually create the motivation or guidance for more effective behavior at the same time. It would have to be something quick, and it should keep the adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone) at normal healthy levels.
Emotional Intelligence
The foundational Emotional Intelligence competencies of emotional self-awareness and emotional self-management offer an approach to address this challenge. First you need to become aware of your emotions. Start by identifying situations, events and people that trigger negative emotions. When you dwell on your negative emotions, you end up in a downward spiral, recalling and reliving the event or situation and elevating your stress levels. With an awareness of triggers, you can implement the simple technique of recalling and re-experiencing positive emotions. In doing so, you can change the negative emotions, moving into the desired positive state and relieving the stress brought on by the negative feelings. Recalling positive, fun experiences is easy to do. It's deceptively simple! You can do it in-the-moment, no matter where you are and as you start to practice using this technique, you'll find that it takes just a few seconds to transform the anxiety and stress.
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